Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 2/12 and Beyond

It's Valentine's Weekend! Whether you partake in the holiday or not, there is something amazing for you to do this weekend with plenty of fun events going on. Crying at the Shed is this weekend, ready to fill your lovey dove weekend with some off-kilter romantic films. It's the middle of Chicago Black Restaurant Weekend, we're at the final weekend of Chicago Auto Show, Chicago Theatre Week and so much more! So get ready for some amazing shows, great food, and everything else Chicago has to offer!

Let's get on with your curated weekend!

FRIDAY & SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13 & 14

ChiTown Movies @ Pilsen Neighborhood, 2343 S. Throop St, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: An old school experience for the modern age
SO WHAT: Take a trip back in time and head out to a drive-in movie with ChiTown Movies. Ever since the pandemic started and shut down traditional movie screening, a few pop up drive-ins have arrived and ChiTown Movies has persevered, offering up modern movies in this retro setting. Check out their lineup below for showings this weekend and in the future!

• 2/13 The Lady and the Tramp (the original) 6pm
• 2/13 10 Things I Hate About You 7:30pm
• 2/13 Friday the 13th 9:30pm
• 2/14 The Lady and the Tramp (the original) 5:45pm
• 2/14 10 Things I Hate About You 7:30pm
• 2/14 The Notebook 9:15pm

NOW WHAT: Tickets are $42.95 per car for these movies, so bring the family for a safe movie watching experience

The Neo-Futurists’ The Infinite Wrench @ The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Friday and Saturday 10:30pm, Sunday 7pm, 16+
WHAT: Quick plays live and online!
SO WHAT: The Neo-Futurists' Infinite Wrench is an ongoing, ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience.
NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $15-20!  The Infinite Wrench and more is also available over at their Patreon!

Wicker Park Winter Market Series @ Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, 1750 N Milwaukee Avenue, 9am-2pm
WHAT: An indoor farmers market for the colder months
SO WHAT: Get some fresh produce action during the wonderful winter edition of the Wicker Park market inside Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club! Wicker Park Farmers Market's mission "is to provide a space for regional food producers to sell to and interact with customers, for our residents and neighbors to access healthful foods and local goods, and to foster a sense of place and community in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood." You can check out their lineup of vendors over at their website!
NOW WHAT: Just bring your tote and get ready to grab some amazing food from local vendors!

2026 Chicago Auto Show @ McCormick Place, 2301 S Martin Luther King Dr, 10:00am -9:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Chicago Auto Show is back for another year
SO WHAT: Head out to McCormick Place to see the latest vehicles, experience added outdoor test tracks, or take a test drive on city streets! It’s North America’s largest auto show and will be open to the public February 7 – 16, so indulge in your love of automobiles! Check out our photo gallery of this year’s show here!
NOW WHAT: Ticket are $17 adults, $12 seniors 62+, $12 for children 4-12, and children 0-3 are free!

Chicago Black Restaurant Week @ Various Locations, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: Two weeks of this incredible dining opportunity
SO WHAT: Chicago Black Restaurant Week returns February 8-22 with another exciting lineup of local eateries. CBRW  was designed to create a platform for Black-owned eateries inviting foodies to check out our town’s hidden gems and maybe find some new favorite locales in the process.
NOW WHAT: Check out all the participating restaurants on their website and get ready for some great food!

Weekend Shows @ Lincoln Hall & Schubas, 2424 N Lincoln Ave & 3159 N Southport Ave, various times, 18+
WHAT: A full weekend of amazing shows at Schubas and Lincoln Hall!
SO WHAT: Lincoln Hall and Schubas are some of our favorite venues in the city and they always have something great going on. This weekend is the start of their month long festival TNK, so you can check out what those show have going on just above this!

• 2/12 -Schubas Open Mic HOSTED BY SHARRON PALM and SAM SELBY @ Schubas (Upstairs)
• 2/12 - Oxis + Ideas by AB @ Schubas
• 2/13 Lincoln Hall + Schubas Staff Showcase: Trash Kickers + Panda Riot + Monroe + Stems on Blondie + Sarah Krohn @ Lincoln Hall
• 2/13 - Maanu + asfand @ Schubas SOLD OUT
• 2/13 - Meet Me Upstairs Presents: feral armor unit @ Schubas (Upstairs)
• 2/14 - Mortified Chicago @ Lincoln Hall
• 2/15 - Kristiane Not Anything, Just Everything Tour + Growing Boys@ Schubas

NOW WHAT: Head out to Schubas & Lincoln Hall and enjoy this great lineup of shows!

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Winterland @ Gallagher Way, 3635 N Clark St, various times,All Ages
WHAT: Some more winter festivities
SO WHAT: Enjoy the return of Gallagher Way’s Winterland with all the fun activities! Enjoy Holiday Movie nights, ice skating, the Holiday train, and plenty of popups around the area!
NOW WHAT: Entry to the Winterland is FREE!

Movies on the Big Screen and Home @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave, various times
WHAT: A great way to support a great local movie theater
SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre recently underwent some great renovations, and it's ready for all your movie needs with some excellent films like Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie, By Design, The Princess Bride, The Miracle Woman, Union Pacific, midnight screening of Valentine (a personal favorite), Joe Dirt & Rocky Horror Picture Show and so much more!
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy a new film at one of our favorite movie theaters in the city!

Chicago Humanities: New Talks and Video Archives @ Various Locations & Chicago Humanities Festival YouTube channel, your favorite browser or YouTube app, any time you want some inspiration, All Ages
WHAT: Interesting conversations with interesting people!
SO WHAT: Chicago Humanities Festival always brings some of the best ideas to the surface with entertaining programming that captures your imagination. There's tons of talks going on this season, so head over to their website, which is constantly updated with new talks. And be sure to check out their podcast Chicago Humanities Tapes, which features conversations with some of their best presenters and other great humanities-minded minds! Check out their talk with Ed Helms below!

• 3/5 Jokermen Live: Cut Worms with Jeff Tweedy
• 4/15 Michael Pollan: A World Appears @ Francis W. Parker School
• 4/18 Dr. Ibram X. Kendi: Chain of Ideas @ Ramova
• 4/23 A Night With NPR’s Planet Money @ Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

NOW WHAT: Head over to take a look at their past events here! You should also sign up for their email list to get updates on upcoming talks in 2025

University of Chicago Folk Festival @ Your favorite spot in your home, All Ages
WHAT: A fantastic folk festival
SO WHAT: University of Chicago Folk Festival might have come and gone but their digital presence is still around, making sure the wonderful music reaches as many people as possible! You can check out the past few years of performances on their Facebook page and their YouTube channel any time you want! This past year's performers included bohola – Jimmy Keane and Pat Broaders; Rhys Jones, Joseph Decosimo & Nokosee Fields; The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee; Nathan Gourley, Laura Feddersen, and Brian Miller; T'Monde; Izaki Metropoulos, Sophia Metropoulos Laouto & Geroge Lawler; Gabe Carter, and many more!
NOW WHAT: Head over to their Facebook page and their YouTube channel and enjoy the show! We highly encourage you to donate to help support this fantastic folk festival!